BLET News

(BLET Editor’s Note: The following message from BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce has been excerpted from the October 2016 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News.) INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, November 8 — On behalf of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I applaud the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) for including rail…

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, September 30 — Legislative Representatives of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) met at Teamsters headquarters in Washington this week for training classes and to lobby House and Senate representatives about the need for two-person crews and other safety measures. The BLET Education and Training Department conducted the training classes. Dennis…

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, September 19 — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is taking a stand against a rail industry effort to nearly double the distance freight trains can travel between mandatory air brake inspections. “Reducing the frequency of safety-sensitive air brake inspections would degrade safety and would put the lives of our members…

(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, August 1, 2016) CHICAGO — The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) administers the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, which provides two kinds of benefits for qualified railroaders: unemployment benefits for those who become unemployed but are ready, willing and able to work; and sickness benefits for those who are unable to…

By Dennis R. Pierce BLET National President INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, September 2 — Labor Day is the American holiday that formally honors the nation’s working class, and informally marks the end of summer. This Labor Day comes in an election year that will present stark choices to voters, and will have a long-lasting impact on job…